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A retired city detective was killed near his upstate home yesterday when the vicious nor’easter that hit the region uprooted a tree that crushed his car.

John Dorsett, 43 – who left the NYPD on disability after suffering a heart attack – died on Gypsie Trail Road in Carmel at around 4 p.m. when a tree about 175 feet tall gave way in the rain-soaked soil and landed on his car.

“He continued forward 15 to 20 feet and came to a stop,” said Eric Gross, an EMS volunteer who was the first to arrive on the scene. “The poor guy was killed instantly.”

Dorsett, who was working as a security officer for the Carmel schools, was devastated when he was forced to retire from the NYPD, his brother, George, told The Post.

“He loved working at the Police Department,” he said.

“He loved fishing. He loved boating.”

The storm turned city and suburban highways into gushing rivers and stranded thousands at the area’s airports.

“This is the rainiest April day on record,” AccuWeather meteorologist Bob Larson said . “This is certainly one of the stronger nor’easters you’ll find.”

By 1 a.m. today, the city had been soaked by 7½ inches. The rain will continue through until late tomorrow.

Alternate-side parking was suspended for today.

About 500 flights were canceled at the three major airports, including at least 54 JetBlue departures at JFK.

“I took my girlfriend here for her birthday. What a terrible present this has become,” said Washington bartender Eric Rodriguez.

Several area roadways were shut down, including parts of the Bronx River Parkway, Hutchinson River Parkway, the West Side Highway and parts of the New Jersey Turnpike.

Flooding also zapped MetroNorth’s Harlem and New Haven lines, briefly shutting down service between Woodlawn and the city.

And in Broad Channel, Queens, which sits in the middle of Jamaica Bay, worried residents stocked up on supplies in case of a tidal surge.

“[My husband] took in everything that could float away,” said Liz Hengein.

Residents of other vulnerable areas, including the Rockaways and the Sea Gate section of Coney Island, were also nervously watching the waves, but most homes were unaffected.

Elsewhere in Brooklyn, a Williamsburg building at 112 Division Ave. was evacuated after a blocked drainage pipe caused 3 feet of water to accumulate on the roof and seep down into the three apartments. It was at risk of collapse, officials said.

Con Edison said about 1,700 households in the city and another 1,700 in Westchester were without power.

The Long Island Power Authority reported 1,500 customers out as wind gusts topping 40 mph sent tree limbs toppling onto power lines.

New Jersey was also hard hit, particularly in Lodi, where numerous streets were flooded.